September 28
2006

In Astonishing X-Men, Joss Whedon and John Cassaday have accomplished that rare thing: to produce an accessible, well-structured, well-written new take on long-established characters which is as accessible to new readers as it is respectful to longtime fans, and looks beautiful to boot.

This being a Marvel Hardcover, we also get a slew of extras, and this book’s selection is better than most. In addition to the expected character sketches and cover variants, there’s an in-depth interview with Cassaday and some tongue-in-cheek e-mails which shed some light on Whedon’s writing approach to the book. Coupled with a genuine-feeling foreword from Brian K. Vaughan, it’s a great package, and one which demands to be read by X-Men fans, Whedonites and lovers of great superhero comics alike.

According to Amazon it was published April 26, 2006. That's the first detailed review I've read, though (not to say there aren't others, but I don't tend to look for them - I just stumble across them on here).